How Many Mistakes Til We're Right?
by Queerwritingally
Summary: Life. Love. Someone really decided that four tiny letters were all that were needed to comprise such complex things. People should really learn to read the fine print where laughter, heartbreak, joy, and mistakes can be seen between each letter. *Generation Q Cast included since Fanfiction doesn't have it as a category yet. Ships are Bette/Tina, Alice/Gigi, Finley/Sophie, Dani/OC*
1. Chapter 1

"Let's get married. Right now. Let's just go."

The statement hung in the air between them. Tension crept up into the space like heat rising from a furnace, and suddenly Sophie found it hard to breathe. The wedding was a topic they hadn't touched since the fiasco with Dani's father with venues, and now her fiancé was there finally talking, but not at all saying the words the TV producer wanted to hear. Briefly Sophie questioned how they got there. How did she go from making jabs at her girlfriend about when she was going to propose to dreading and absolutely fearing the idea of getting married to the very same woman? The question was fleeting though because her mind quickly reminded her that a response of some sort was expected to follow such a bold statement.

On the bed, with every second that ticks by, Dani was slowly realizing just how out of place things had become. Yeah, she'd realized that their talking had almost screeched to a halt over the last few weeks, but that was just supposed to be a low period. Relationships were rollercoasters filled with ups and downs. Yet, with every second that ticked by without hearing Sophie call her crazy, making a sarcastic comment, or emphatically agreeing with the idea a knot formed in her stomach.

"Sophie? Baby, what's wrong,"** she asked as she watched the other woman lean against their dresser with her back towards the bed.

Dani's words dragged her back to the present in the most unpleasant way. The worry in the woman's voice tugged at her heart painfully while simultaneously bringing back images of her moment with Finley to remind her just why she felt so shitty right then. She couldn't even argue that it was jus a kiss because it wasn't. Honestly, the kiss was the least worrying part of it all. It was everything else around it that felt like the ultimate betrayal. With a racing heart and tears quickly forming behind her eyes, Sophie forced her body to turn and face the shambles of what they both had done. She wrapped her arms around her midsection in an attempt to protect herself from the anger that was sure to swirl between them once she was honest about what she'd done.

Pausing briefly by biting the corner of her bottom lip, she finally found the courage to let words pass her lips. "Dani, I — you," she started before stopping again. While there certainly was blame to place in front of her fiancé, that wasn't something she could use to justify what she did. There just wasn't a good way to say it, so she blurted, "Finley and I kissed."

The words didn't connect in Dani's brain for the first few seconds after they were said. They were just incomprehensible. It was so out of left field to her, that it made the woman wonder just how much she had missed. Had she really been that absent? Work had gotten crazy, and everything with her father had spun her head upside down,t t but Finley?

"Were you drunk?" That was the only explanation that her brain could cling on to that even remotely made sense.

Leaning back against the dresser, Sophie looked down at her sock clad feet as she shook her head in the negative. Knowing that her partner wouldn't accept the just wordless response, she once against found herself searching for the words to explain what had happened. "You weren't there," she said as if it would explain it all.

"Are you seriously," Dani started but as soon as she locked eyes with the pleading ones of her fiancé she stopped. It took everything for her to bite her tongue and let Sophie finish, but she looked away in signal for the other woman to continue.

"She was there, Dani. You weren't coming home until after I was asleep. You weren't even at the hospital when my grandmother was having surgery. I mean, who even does that? And I've been begging you to talk to me. Finley was there. She wanted to be there when you seemed to want to be anywhere else." It wasn't easy, but Sophie forced herself to keep eye contact with Dani. She could see how much her words were hurting the other woman, and while a part of her wanted to say that it was her fiancé's fault, it wasn't that simple. Things rarely ever were.

Dani clutched the sheets beneath her fingertips as she listened to Sophie's description of the destruction of their relationship. Every word was like a wrecking ball to the foundation they had spent so much time building together. As she clenched her eyes shut she could almost see all the small things that unraveled their relationship flash before her. Yet, she couldn't help but clench her teeth in frustration because while she had definitely screwed up too, she felt partly like she was set up to fail.

"I should have been there for you with your grandmother. I'm sorry I wasn't," she said honestly. Once again her ambition for her work clouded her judgement. When she was working with her father, she had already climbed her way to the top and proven she was the very best. Sophie was right when she said that they were supposed to be settling down before Dani uprooted her professional life. She found herself in a new environment with the desire to prove herself to her employer stronger than ever. Bette Porter's opinion of her mattered in a way that was different from her father's. With her father a part of the pride he felt for her would be given due to birth right, but with mayoral candidate Porter it was something she had to completely earn.

"I messed up, but Sophie it feels as if you expected me to completely change the moment we got engaged. You knew who I was. You know that I shut down when I get overwhelmed. After something as big as my father showing how little he truly accepts me and the woman I choose to love, I thought you'd understand after this long how I needed some time to deal with that on my own before I came to you. If talking to you more is something you need, then you need to give me time to work on that instead of just acting like an engagement ring but a time limit on how long I had to fix things. If anything, the ring was supposed to symbolize how we had all the time because we wanted forever ideally." Dani nearly added if that was enough sharing of emotions for her, but she knew it wouldn't be constructive. It would just lead to nasty words being flung back and forth which would only add to the pile of things neither one of them could take back.

Across from her though, Sophie was having a much harder time controlling her anger. Maybe the pressure to be better than her father in a marriage became too much, and she transferred that to her relationship as well. It was possible those fears and expectations took their love from a slow cooker to a pressure cooker that burst under it all. That was all possible, but Sophie wasn't ready to face those ideas yet. All that was swirling before her eyes was the hurt she felt when she was alone going through the biggest scare of her young adult life. An apology right then just wasn't going to cut it. "I'm sorry for expecting you to pull your head out of your ass and stop being so caught up in your personal shit to be there when I needed you. How much longer do you expect me to wait?"

The outburst was partly expected. Out of the two of them, Sophie had always been the more outright emotional one. Her partner was always willing to wear her emotions on her sleeve and bravely show them whenever they were felt. If the situation they had found themselves in hadn't been so surprising, Dani most likely would have shrugged it off. In the moment though, she found herself acting in an different way entirely. Slowly, the PR rep moved to slide off the bed and into the closet to get dressed. That was it. Her capacity for talking had reached it's limit, and that much was obvious. It could be seen from her tense shoulders to the neutral expression her face morphed to when she checked out of a situation.

Sophie saw it too, and with it panic rose within her. There it was again, but at the same time she feared it wouldn't end like the last times. Honestly, a part of her wished that it would. She longed for the predictability of her fiancé just shutting her out and coming back eventually which was ironic since those very behaviors were what pushed her over the edge to begin with. Yet, no matter how maddening they were, that cycle always led to the two of them being okay whereas in that moment, Sophie didn't know where they stood. "Dani, you're seriously not going to say something?"

It was a weak attempt really, but it was all that she could make out. The anxious butterflies swarming her insides wouldn't let more than a few words escape the chaos they'd created within every inch of her. It almost seemed to work too. Dani emerged from the closet dressed casually in a pair of light wash boyfriend jeans, tank, and jacket, but she didn't stop walking. Instead she took the engagement ring Sophie had given her that was such a precious family heirloom, and placed it on the dresser by the door to their room. The small gasp that escaped Sophie pierced her ears louder than any sound she'd heard before, and the subtle change in breathing that hinted how tears were soon to follow dug the knife even further. There was a finality to her actions that she wasn't ready to deal with yet. Again, process. There wasn't enough space for her to do that yet. Instead, she leaned against the door frame and let out a breath of her own that did nothing to alleviate the pressure on her chest. "I think it's obvious that you stopped waiting." Not being able to think clearly enough to say anything else, she grabbed her purse and started her journey away.

Away from the crying that quickly began to fill their shared home. Away from the years of love, commitment, and work that had been poured into a relationship she cherished. Away from her own disappointments of messing up so badly she didn't even see her own friend making a home out of the space that used to be hers. Her grip on the steering wheel was tight as she navigated the familiar streets of West Hollywood. As she drove on autopilot she found herself in suddenly waiting at the light across the street from Dana's. It was nine o'clock on a Thursday night, and suddenly she realized that while being around people wasn't her first choice, she didn't have many others. Heading to the office so much was what started the whole heartache she currently found herself in, so she turned to search for parking on the block.

It wasn't until she stepped in that she realized something was different. While the space was filled with Alice, Bette, and Shake, the rest of the usually bustling crowd was nowhere to be found.

"I'm sorry. Are you closed," she asked curiously while looking around. Things looked different.

Shane looked up at the voice and offered the friendly smile that she seemed to always have tucked into her back pocket. It was so disarming and usually what helped her win the hearts, or at least underwear, of so many women. "Yeah, kind of, but you're fine. We're just renovating. Well, adding a kitchen really. You work for Bette, right?"

The politician looked up at the sound of her name and quickly offered a smile of her own to the familiar face. Alice arched a questioning eyebrow if things really were fine since moments ago they were just talking about the messy complications that came with Tina being engaged, but the worry was quickly subtly nodded off. As Bette's PR representative, there was already very little about the older woman's current private life that Dani didn't know or wouldn't find out about eventually. "Yes, she does. Hello, Dani. What are you doing here? If it's anything to do with the campaign or trying to plan retaliation for the smear campaign that aired again, not tonight. I don't think my head can handle anymore of that right now without spinning."

Dani quickly shook her head as she moved to take a seat at the bar. Her legs felt like led all of a sudden and sitting seemed like a good idea. "No. Honestly, I just needed a drink," she replied as she ran her left hand through her hair. When hair didn't immediately get caught in the ring that used to reside there like it had so many times before during the subconscious action and wince nearly marred her features. As if she needed any small reminders of exactly what she wanted to avoid for just a little while longer before she addressed how her life had gone to shit. Although, if that was her goal, she was starting off terribly. Sitting with her fiancé — well, apparently ex fiancé's, boss and the woman who randomly let Finley crash at her house was not exactly how she would have drawn it up originally, but there she was. Making an awkward excuse would be worse, and she really didn't have the brain power for it.

"That we can get behind," came from the ever exuberant Alice who happily bounced up to move to the bar. "Relax, Shane. As a forty four year old woman, I can manage pouring some whiskey on ice," came from her lips before her friend even got the words out.

Hands up in surrender, Shane allowed the woman to continue her task since she really was too tipsy herself to even bother arguing. When the brown liquid was placed before her, Dani smiled and wrapped her hands around the glass for a moment before lifting it to her lips. The slight burn down her throat was welcome since the warmth that followed it allowed her to feel something other than cold, detached, betrayal, and guilt.

"If you're joining this pity party, you gotta pay the fee though," Alice started as she sat herself back down with her own refill.

"Alice," Bette chided slightly.

"What? It's true. We're baring souls here and talking about how fucked up our lives are. No one comes into an empty, closed bar at night without something being wrong." While Alice's blunt tendencies weren't the way the rest of the older trio liked to maneuver things, none of them were surprised by the astute observation. Their blonde counterpart had a way of reading people. It used to be used for purely gossip and trivial things in her youth, but with age came a wider understanding of how to use it to connect with others.

Dani though, was slightly taken aback, but after years in the corporate world had learned how to keep it from showing. She hid it behind the lip of her glass as she took another sip and calculated just how honest she was willing to be. "You don't have to answer her," came from her left from Shane who wore her usual coat of nonchalance. Any other time Dani might have envied it, but right then she was thankful. It was soothing.

"No, it's okay. I think I just broke up with my fiancé. I mean, I left the ring on the dresser, and she kissed someone else, so think might be understating it, but there you go. That's my contribution to the bucket," she said while making a slight toasting motion with her glass before downing the rest of her glass in one go.

Three sets of eyes widened at the news and then went back to leaning back in their chairs to get comfortable. Alice knew that meant her TV producer was most likely in shambles herself and made the mental note to check on her later after checking if she even had the younger woman's number.

"You fit right in tonight. I just told my ex wife I didn't want to raise a kid with her," Shane said to catch Dani up to speed. Shane saw the woman's brow furrow and interjected, "don't ask. The whole thing is a way longer story." She didn't blame the curiosity though. Who hears about ex's trying to have a baby together instead of raising one that already existed together? It was weird even by Shane's standards. Figuring that the night would call for it, Shane walked back to the bar and grabbed the bottle of whiskey that had been poured before. After topping glasses off, it was set back on the table.

After the two statements of vulnerability Alice chimed in about her failed poly relationship, and laughed when Dani gave the tipsy offering of the title trifle. Since Alice was one to share more than Shane about her feelings, she revealed how it surprised her that she wasn't just hurt by Nat, but by Gigi as well. She had expected to only feel the loss of her relationship with her longtime girlfriend, but apparently that just showed her inexperience of it all in spades. "I just — fuck. Dealing with heartbreak over one girl is bad enough. Two? And two that left you to be with each other? That shit blows," she revealed after her third glass. All the rest of them could do was nod in agreement because honestly that did sound horrible.

"And my ex wife, who I under the influence of hard alcohol can admit I still am in love with, is engaged to get married," Bette added lastly with bitterness lacing her voice. Yet again she failed at the one thing she wanted to succeed at more than anything even though her actions didn't always show her priorities lined up the right way. There wasn't enough alcohol in the city to numb the pain of losing Tina all over again. "We make quite the group, ladies," she teased. Some lightheartedness was needed to keep the night from teetering into the area of completely depressing. Toeing the line worked much better when in company.

"To fucking shit up," Dani faux toasted before finishing yet another glass. She had enough of the mind to not get a refill. If she did she would go from mild hangover to feeling like death tomorrow.

Alice, Shane, and Bette couldn't help but laugh in a self deprecating way as well before lifting their glasses slightly in accordance. Right then they all wondered if life was more about making mistakes than it was anything else they'd spent so long searching for.


	2. Chapter 2

The following morning Shane found herself walking into her bar and nursing a mild hangover. While most of the night had been spent comforting those around her and very briefly touching on her own problems, she preferred it that way. She'd never been one to go seek advice about what she was doing. For as long as she could remember she simply acted and dealt with the consequences later. Of course, that was easier to do when someone had the support system she did behind her. So, even though she didn't outright seek out the help, just the knowledge of it being there was really all she needed. Everything else would sort itself out eventually. Most things did.

After meeting with the crew working on her kitchen and a few other small adjustments, she walked towards her office in the hopes of catching a quick nap before meeting with her new chef to go over menu, prices, and the hierarchy of how the place would function. What she got however was the sight of Finley passed out on her couch, again, with an empty bottle from her bar laying on the floor beside her. Many would be pissed, and rightfully so. Shane barely knew the woman a month and already the blonde had made herself quite at home as a fixture in the hairstylist's life whether welcomed or not. Yet, the older woman didn't have the heart to rip into the disheveled mess in front of her. The sight was one that she remembered being the center of more times than she cared to count in her youth.

Deciding that it was better to get the awkward apologies and talk over with sooner rather than later, Shane tried to rouse Finley awake by shaking her shoulder. Thankfully the younger woman wasn't completely inebriated, so waking her up came pretty easily.

Finley pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes and groaned as she stretched. When she finally took in the sight around her, the blonde clumsily jerked up which was obviously not the best move for the headache pounding in her skull. "Oh fuck, dude. I'm sorry. I don't even remember passing out here last night." Which was true. All she remembered was settling down in the back to try and avoid the hell she'd brought onto the lives of those she cared about.

Leaning against the one of the arms of the couch, Shane titled her head against her shoulder and let out a sigh. "What time did you even get in here? I was here until about two in the morning, and I would have noticed you."

Exact times and order of things wasn't something the blonde was good with on her best days, so remembering after a night of drinking was practically impossible. Still, she pursed her lips in thought as she racked her brain to at least give an estimate. "It was after talking with Sophie, so probably closer to four in the morning," she finally answered. Although, mentioning Sophie made her chest feel uncomfortable. It also jogged her memory about the fact that it was Friday, and she was supposed to be at work. "Fuck! Dude, what time is it," she asked as she dug into her pockets for her own cellphone.

Amused by the sudden frenzy, Shane reached into her front pocket easily to check. "Ten twenty in the morning. If you're freaking out about work, I wouldn't. I'm pretty sure Alice doesn't expect to see you today. Actually, she said that she was willing to bet that either you or Sophie wouldn't show up. She just didn't know which one," she answered with a small smile. Seeing the confusion on Finley's face, Shane decided to elaborate since it was probably weird to the other woman that her boss knew about the situation already. "Dani wound up here last night. Bette, Alice, and I were already here."

Recognition quickly replaced confusion on Finley's face. Knowing that the woman who had unknowingly adopted her knew about her fuck up brought more shame upon the woman. The weight of it all already weighed heavily on her. It was the reason why she had tried to drink it all away which was her go to coping mechanism lately. Rather than feel everything, feel too much really, she'd rather numb it by drinking until her brain couldn't form coherent sentences about whatever plagued her at the moment. It was easier than remembering the relationship she had helped destroy or the face of her friend who was heartbroken. Even the hangover was better than thinking about the unspoken expectation she felt had been placed on her afterwards that she wasn't sure she could live up to. Not wanting to put Shane in a position where she could be in the middle of it all, the blonde fought back the urge to ask how Dani was. Instead she just stared up at the ceiling and questioned how things were going to play out.

"I fucked up," she said honestly. "And I feel like I keep fucking up. Like when am I supposed to have this life thing down? Or at least better than what I'm doing."

The question hung between them for a few moments, and honestly, Shane probably could've gotten away with not answering. If the silence stayed long enough, Finley would undoubtedly give in to her urge to ramble, and it would have been seen as the rhetorical question it most likely was. That would be the easy route for someone who really didn't want to get involved, but the hair stylist couldn't do it. From the moment she met the blonde who had put together a bed that Shane hadn't asked for, something about the familiarity of the younger woman pulled at heart strings. No matter how aloof the older woman tried to act, her tendency to care usually got her dragged into things she'd rather have no part in. After all, her M.O. was to cause drama with her free, noncommittal lifestyle, but then walk away from it like some hot shot actor walks away from an explosion. She figures that's why M.O.'s are usually full of crap. They're just assumptions that don't get into the real shit.

"You're thinking about it all wrong," she said finally. "Look, I don't think anyone has a handle on life, and if they say they do, they're full of shit. You're not different than the people who seem to have it all together. You're just more real about the fact that you have no idea what you're doing." Shane never shied away from mistakes. She made them, embraced them, and then kept on moving.

A scoff was what she received in response from the other woman. Finley's face was contorted in disbelief of what was said to her. Sure, she appreciated a good pep talk from time to time like most people, but in her mind she knew that Shane was just sugar coating things to make her feel better. "Whatever dude. Look at you. You sorted shit out with your wife, have the dream house in LA, and own this kickass bar. I'm a temp at a TV station, sleep in a different spot most nights, and just broke up two of my best friends. No way are we the same."

Instead of being mad at the assumptions, Shane just smirked slightly. It appeared the blonde was one of the few in the city that didn't know of her reputation. After all, she was frequently referred to as a legend thanks in large part to Alice's chart that seemed to never die. Finley's comments showed just how far Shane had grown. Ten years ago she never would have thought that someone would have seen her as the put together one. Bette, Tina, Alice, and hell even Helena at times yeah, but never her. Everyone usually waited with baited breath to see when she'd implode her life. "That's what it looks like. Really I'm divorced, Quiara moved back out two nights ago, and I bought this bar because I had no idea what I was doing anymore. I just knew I wanted to be done with hair. We all fuck up, Finley. The sooner you deal with that, the easier it is to just get on with what comes after it." Moaning and groaning never solved anything. If there was one thing Shane learned, it was that self pity usually just made things worse.

Since no response was given after a few moments between the two, Shane awkwardly patted the woman's leg, and then moved to leave the room. Having heart to hearts like that was easier with Bette and Alice since the three of them had known one another so long, but it still wasn't something that made her completely comfortable. A small part of her mind was telling her she had no business giving advice to anyone, but she paid it little mind. She doubted what she said would really soak through anyway. As a fellow hard head, she knew that it took a few times before something really made it through.

Carefully, she walked through the construction taking place and leaned against the bar furthest away from the chaos. Adding a kitchen hadn't been her idea, but truthfully it made the most sense. Very few people in West Hollywood went out to just get drinks on a regular basis. On weeknights especially they'd have to stop in after dinner which usually made it too late for those who had to work the next day. With that in mind, she called a contractor, architect, and interior designer to help out with the renovation to add food to her menu which should bring people in more. If she was going to pour her money into the space and name it in honor of one of her best friends, then she had to do right by it in order to give it the best chance to survive.

The dinging of the bell made her raise her head from where it was resting against the cold hardwood of the bar. She'd expected to see her new chef walking through the door, but instead caught sight of Tina. Not at all who she thought she'd see that day, she still smiled and embraced the woman when she approached. "Hey. What brings you out? The place is kind of a mess right now."

Although their friendship hadn't ever been as close as Tina was with Alice or Helena really, the two did have a fond love between one another. After all, two people didn't float in the same orbit of close friends for so long without a bond.

"Hey," she said with the usually peppiness that coats her voice. Visually, Shane and Tina couldn't look more opposite if they tried. Shane had the whole loose, alternative style to her clothing while the other looked like she stepped out of a J Crew catalog. That day was no different with the movie executive sporting a pencil skirt, heels, and satin top. "Bette told me about this place, and I just had to check it out. I can't believe you're bringing a lesbian hotspot back to the neighborhood. It's amazing."

The genuine tone in the woman's words was obvious to hear, and it made Shane proud of what she had done. It was definitely an impulsive decision at the time, but it represented a lot to not just their small nucleus of friends, but to the queer community as a whole. A place to call home and frequent at any time of day had been lacking since The Planet closed down, and well, a new beginning was something they all needed for many reasons. "Thanks. I don't think I really knew what I signed up for when I bought it, but it's going. Laura was actually the one who gave me the recommendation for the chef."

Tina's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the old acquaintance. It's a name she hadn't heard in years. The idea that Laura had a hand in helping put the place together, even if it was just through a recommendation, was fitting though. After all, the woman had been a big part of Dana's life before leaving. The situation had been complicated, but then again, most things in their nucleus were. "Carrie and I will definitely check this out. I actually have to head out in a few to pick her up from the airport," she said with a smile. However, it dimmed slightly when she caught sight of the change in her friend's facial features. It was slight, but people didn't know each other for years without picking up on such things. "What's wrong," she asked straight away. Tina was never one to really beat around the bush. Discussing feelings came naturally to her, and she'd rather get things out of the way than let them fester.

Not realizing she made the face she was thinking out loud, Shane nearly cursed herself for the slip up. These conversations were the ones she preferred to avoid. Giving advice or her thoughts on what people were doing with their lives was something that made her extremely uncomfortable. She'd begrudgingly give it with Alice the most, but she preferred to just allow people to live their lives and make their own mistakes. "It's not my place," she said as she shoved her hands into the front pockets of her black, distressed skinny jeans and leaned back against the bar.

Tina squinted her eyes slightly at the woman before her. She wasn't someone to really let things go which could be a flaw in her personality at times. Add that to being slightly nosey, and it could be a recipe for disaster. Yet, in that moment, she just worried about there being a disconnect between her and her friends. Plus, although many didn't get to receive it, Shane usually shot things straight which was comforting. "Shane, there is very little in my life that isn't your place anymore. You're family. If you think something is wrong, I'd like to hear about it."

"It's not my business though. Really," she tried one last time. Sometimes if she dodged things enough she was successful, but with Tina that was a rare accomplishment few could reach.

All she got in return was her name repeated in a slightly more clipped tone which made her sigh. It was too early for a drink even by her standards, so she was stuck having an incredibly awkward conversation hungover. "Just, do you know what you're doing, Tina? You and Bette, you know I've always rooted for you two, but Bette's been through hell this year."

Flabbergasted was the only word that could be used to describe Tina's face. She and Bette had been through many fights over the years that their friends had gotten in the middle of, but she wasn't expecting to be questioned by Shane. The woman was right in saying she was the one that usually cheered them on the most. Tina and Bette had actually joked that she took their breakups and spats much like their literal adopted child, so the words were a surprise. "I talked to Bette. I told her that Carrie proposed, and I want to be close to Angie. That's all there is to this, Shane. We're still a family." The small nagging voice in the back of her head reminding her of their shared love and the familiarity in which they operated whenever they were together echoed in her mind, but she pushed it down as far as she could.

Shane wanted to mention Kit's funeral, how Tina left Bette to find herself but along the way wound up finding someone else, and many other things, but it wasn't her place. She trusted her friend to handle herself, so making sure to keep her facial expression neutral she nodded. "I'm happy you're back, and I know you guys will figure this out. You two always do." Which was true. The couple had seen their way through many situations, different couplings, and drama. While a new marriage might scream disaster for a lot of ex's, the hair stylist had faith in the duo to figure something out. Truthfully, figuring out how to work it out was her hope rather than the two of them somehow getting pulled together again. Ruining an engagement is messier than their past shit.

"I'm glad to be back," Tina answered truthfully. She'd missed her daughter greatly. Angie would always be the priority and was the main reason for her return. Being a distant parent was not something the movie executive could ever do full time.

The air between the two became slightly awkward after the impromptu conversation, which Shane internally pointed out was exactly why she didn't want to have it. Just as she was about to try to fill the silence, the door pinged again to announce yet another visitor, but fortunately it was one the first time bar owner expected. From the picture she'd gotten along with the resume, it was clear the strawberry blonde who walked in was her new chef Sadie Nolan. The young woman's appearance was an interesting blend of edgy and prep with a nature themed, full sleeve easily visible on her left arm due to the off the shoulder shirt and nicely tailored cargo pants. Hazel eyes shined as she smiled and adjusted the strap of her satchel on her shoulder before offering her hand to Shane to shake. "Hello, I'm Chef Sadie," she greeted easily.

Tina thankful as ever for the opportunity for an exit, started making her way towards the door. "The place looks great again, Shane. Can't wait to see it when it's in full swing. We'll talk later," was the somewhat rushed farewell the blonde offered before exiting the space.

The slight awkwardness could be felt by even Sadie who didn't have a clue as to what was going on. "Did I just interrupt a, uh, thing," she asked carefully. The description that Laura had given her of Shane clear in her mind as she thought of the best way to apologize for walking in on what she could only assume was a unfortunate morning after talk.

Shane was about to dismiss the worry right away until she saw the grimace and exclaimed, "Fuck me, you too? Is there anyone in this town that hasn't heard of my reputation? I didn't even live here for almost eight years. Fuck Alice and that fucking chart. She's killing me." The hairstylist didn't even know if the website was still running somewhere after Alice finally caved in sold it once Max took off. A part of her hoped it went to whatever graveyard cyberspace had so her twenties and early thirties could fizzle into only tiny pixels.

Even though she was talking to her brand new employer, and it went against all her usual judgement Sadie laughed. She couldn't help it. "If it make you feel better, I only know a wee bit from what Laura told me. I think it's still her way of being overly worried about me despite the fact that I'm nearly thirty now. Her checklist before I left was if I packed some underwear since she insists I should wear more, if I grabbed the new toothbrush she got me which I still claim is a weird parting gift from a boss, and to not sleep with you. So sorry, but don't kill the messenger," she said with a smile that was completely disarming. Even if Shane wanted to be annoyed, the woman's quirky over sharing along with her friendly demeanor almost made it impossible. "I shouldn't have assumed though, so I'm sorry 'bout that."

_Great_, Shane thought to herself. Another queer employee who was attractive and would be constantly around a fully stocked bar was just what she needed. She made a quick mental note to tell Finley flirting with her chef would be strictly off limits. Their staff so far had only been four freaking people and things were already complicated between her sleeping with Lena, and Finley sleeping with Tess. No more drama was necessary. "Don't sweat it, but good advice, and I'm not usually about telling people what to do, but what do you say we stretch that rule of not sleeping with me to staff in general?" Delegating orders about work related tasks Shane could do with no problem, but setting rules and a staff culture was always tricky. She didn't need any more missteps than she already caused.

"Oh, don't' worry boss. I don't shit where I eat," she said nonchalantly with a shrug of her shoulders as she walked over to the bar, placed her bag on top of it, and took a seat. She pulled out a legal pad with notes scattered all over the first page, a pencil, and a pair of glasses. "You ready to get started on this small plates menu or what?"

Loving the fact that the woman didn't even linger on any of their first encounter and transitioned effortlessly into business, Shane smiled and bowed her head in a gesture for Sadie to start. It was the most calm thing she'd agreed to in almost two days.


End file.
